Miss World - Pageant Controversies

Pageant Controversies

The Miss World pageant has been the target of many controversies since its inception.

• In 1970, feminist protesters threw flour bombs during the live event at London's Royal Albert Hall, momentarily scaring the host, Bob Hope.
• In 1973, the judges made their final rankings of the seven finalists by assessing each one's personality, stage presence and the ability to speak before an audience. The Majority Vote System determined the final rankings of the seven finalists. Odd numbers of judges were always used, to prevent ties from occurring. Chairman of the judges in 1973 was Peter Dimmock, Head of BBC Outside Broadcasts. The winner, Marjorie Wallace, was fired on 8 March 1974, because she had failed to live up to the "first-class public image" of the position. However, she is still the official titleholder, as the Miss World title was not offered to the runners-up.
• The 1974 winner Helen Morgan representing the United Kingdom was forced to resign four days later after it was discovered she was an unmarried mother.
• In 1976, several countries went on a boycott, because the pageant included both a Caucasian and African representative for South Africa. South Africa competed for the last time in 1977, before it was welcomed back in 1991 as that policy disintegrated.
• The 1980 winner Gabriella Brum of Germany resigned one day after winning, initially claiming her boyfriend disapproved. A few days later it emerged that she had been forced to resign after it was discovered that she posed naked for a magazine.
• In 1996, wide-scale protests took place in Bangalore, India, over the hosting of the beauty contest. The swimsuit shootings were moved to the Seychelles, and heavy security was placed. Despite the chaos, the pageant's live telecast went on smoothly.
• Just days after her 1998 crowning, Israel's Linor Abargil revealed that she had been raped only two months before the pageant. The man who raped her was later convicted.